Riva landed a recording contract at a very young age and is a performer “who’s driven to do it her way or no way”. She capitalizes on the topic of identity as she takes us along her story up until now. Riva is getting ready to release new music. She reveals to us the motives behind her classic Deeper and prepares us for the darker and more heartfelt route she plans to embark on in the future.

dating a physical trainer Who is Riva Taylor? Tell us a bit about the woman behind the voice and your transition from Becky Taylor to Riva Taylor.

As you may know, Riva Taylor is the grown-up version of Becky Taylor. She’s experienced things in the eight years out of the music industry that Becky hadn’t. She’s a songwriter whose created an album about her experiences.

Yes, that’s right. After recording a few albums, I wanted to take some time out to find out who I was, what direction I wanted to go in and get a degree. I knew I wanted to at some point in my life, so for me that was the natural point to take a break.

Always keep up with your education! I was very fortunate to have a supportive school that allowed me to travel, but also parents who encouraged me to keep up with that side of things. I do think it’s very easy to stray. I had options of being able to travel during exam time but I chose not to. Had I not listened to them, I probably wouldn’t have ended up going to Durham and I certainly wouldn’t have been the person I am today. The music industry is difficult and you never know when you might actually need that degree.

http://airshow-magazin.de/wp-content/plugins/nextgen-gallery/changelog.txt That’s definitely something I’m having to take in as well, as a young adult. In your interview with The Sound Architect you spoke a bit more about your transition from Becky Taylor to Riva Taylor and finding your own identity. I want to focus a bit on this by asking you if there is any advice you can give to teens struggling with self-identification?

Yes, I think there is, I certainly struggled with this myself making the transition. It was very difficult for me, being a kid in the music industry who was given everything on a plate really. I was handed clothes to wear, told where to be and off I walked onto a stage. I didn’t feel like me at the time. I didn’t feel like I had my identity. I didn’t know that until afterwards and obviously when you are younger you are more impressionable.

It was that point when I hit eighteen that I had industry people saying to me, “who are you…what artist are you…what songs are you going to sing?”. That was quite difficult for me and in the years I spent out of the industry, I struggled with working out where exactly I fitted in the world. I was once this singer that was given everything and then all of a sudden…I was a student.

In terms of advice, talk to people, be open with your thoughts, feelings and your worries. Let those around you help you through it. If you are struggling with that sense of identity in the music industry, meet a lot of people. People will always be there to help you and give you advice. It may seem hard at first, but it’s about growing a thick skin. I’ve had knock-backs. I’ve had people who were brutally honest with me about music. I had to apply that and change it – it’s all part of the journey. If you ask any singer, certainly as big as Adele they’ll be able to tell you the same thing.

People have been asking me this quite a lot at the moment. As a kid, I was very influenced by vocalists like Annie Lennox and Kate Bush. I like interesting voices, voices that take you on a journey. I also loved the music of Phil Collins, just the merit of the songs alone. When I look at singers now, I’m impressed by Jessie J (who by the way has a wicked voice). I also admire people who are doing things differently. I really respect Taylor Swift. She has not only converted me into a fan, but I love the fact that she’s one step ahead of every other singer in the world. What is she planning at the moment? We don’t know. I mean, we know it’s going to be amazing but she’s keeping us all in suspense. She hasn’t posted anything on social media at the moment. She is a very intelligent businesswoman and a very talented songwriter. In a way she is an inspiration, as she has proven that you can do your own thing independently, with a really solid team around you.

How to make extra cash for the holidays She does have a very nice strategy going. I thought I’d ask you a bit about “Deeper”, which by the way is a beautiful song. The lyrics inspire strength to all who listen to it. What is the story/inspiration behind the song?

The song is actually about self-actualisation. It’s about me standing face to face with Riva Taylor thinking I’ve found my identity here. It is also an acknowledgement that, there’s still some way to go. Everything will evolve and who knows where I’ll be in three years time. Will my identity look as it is now? Will my music be the same? It is a feeling of finding that and re-echoing what we spoke about before, concerning artists who are struggling with that. I didn’t feel like I was Becky Taylor anymore but I feel like I am Riva Taylor. So yes, the song is about standing face to face with yourself, in a mirror or metaphorically and saying right we are moving forward together now. Let’s go! It’s an optimistic song, which inspires hope.

source url You recently performed at Ellaguru alongside several other talented artists for the Refuge Charity fundraiser. How did that opportunity come about?

That was through a publicist, who made a rapport with Pixie Lott. It was really nice being down there and she is absolutely lovely. At the moment, I’m just really loving trying out new material. It was a challenge as every performance is different. You don’t know what the sound systems are going to be like and the venues are different. Sometimes you have your audience right under your nose and other times it’s a completely different experience. Regardless, I loved it. I had a couple of friends down there as well, who were really supportive. It was a great thing to do.

pq option Back in 2015, you gave a stunning performance of Earth to Earth at the British Academy Games Awards Show. Can you talk a little bit about that. How did that opportunity come about?

Yes, of course! I did a song that was the official theme for a video game called Assassin’s Creed. It was one of their video game releases that year and it took me on a whirlwind of adventure afterwards. I performed the song and a few others on a tour called Video Games Live around Europe, performing in venues from the Helsinki Ice Hall to the Heineken Music Hall (AFAS Live) in Amsterdam with a full orchestra. They invited me to come along and perform this song at the BAFTA Games Award which recognises the best games of the year. Earth to Earth was a song especially written for that particular ceremony.

simple trade opcje binarne opinie We remain intrigued as to what our favourite musicians think about social issues. Unfortunately, there is a lot going on in the world at the moment. As we’re still recovering from the devastating Grenfell Tower tragedy I thought I’d ask you what your opinion is? Can you shed some light on the issues that have been addressed?

I have to say it’s something that has affected me and continues to affect me. The morning it happened I had a very disruptive night’s sleep as I had heard helicopters. At the time, I was completely unaware of what was going on. At 5:30am in the morning I turned on my phone, which is something I rarely do. BBC news flash came up stating that there was a fire on Latimer Road, which is ten minutes away from me. I drew back my curtains and I knew deep down I was going to see something. I can see two things from where I live, one being Wembley and the other being Grenfell Tower. Prior to the fire, I didn’t know what Grenfell Tower was but I do now. I could see a very sad shell of what was once the Grenfell Tower. It has been a very sad time for London and it has brought a lot of political criticism to light as well. It is an interesting time to be living in the hub of it all and everyone will always have their own view. It was a very sorry thing to have seen.

Well, I hope the next album will be out! I will have toured this one. There’s going to be some more radio play of Deeper which we are setting up at the moment, a release of the next song and eventually a release of the album. It’s very exciting. Song writing is something that I love doing and I’ll be keeping up with that as much as possible – so in a sense I’m already writing the next album. I do hope people enjoy the next song. While Deeper is optimistic, you asked me at the beginning who Riva Taylor is… well I think you are going to see another side of her. We’re going to get a little darker, a little more heartfelt. That’s what’s coming!